KYIV: A senior official from the EU said in Kyiv on Friday that the bloc will announce its tenth set of sanctions against Russia on February 24 to commemorate the anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as Ukrainian forces prepare for an anticipated Russian offensive in the coming weeks.

According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the sanctions will target technology used by Russia's military apparatus among other things.

The sanctions will take aim in particular at components used in the manufacturing of drones, she said, naming Iran as a key supplier of Russia. Closing loopholes that the Kremlin uses to circumvent sanctions will also be a priority, according to Von der Leyen, who was on her fourth visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war began. The exact measures in the next EU sanctions package must be agreed upon by the bloc`s 27 member countries — a process that can take weeks.

The most recent meeting of this kind took place in Kyiv in October 2021, just before hostilities began. The extremely symbolic trip also marks the first such political mission from the EU to a nation at war. The high-level meeting took place as six people were injured and a 60-year-old man was killed Friday when Russian missiles struck central Toretsk in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, according to a statement on Facebook from the local prosecutor's office.

According to Ukraine's presidential office, two brothers, ages 49 and 42, were among those killed when Russian shelling in the northeastern Kharkiv region destroyed an apartment building. Additionally, a Russian attack on Thursday in the eastern city of Kramatorsk left six people injured and damaged 18 apartment buildings, two hospitals, and a school, according to Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko speaking to Ukrainian TV. On Wednesday, a Russian missile that was fired at that city struck an apartment building, killing four people.

The goal of Ukraine, according to Zelenskyy, "is to begin negotiations this year." However, the procedure will probably take years and call for the adoption of extensive reforms, such as a crackdown on pervasive corruption as the nation receives billions in aid. Zelenskyy claimed that improvements had been made in several areas, including agriculture, industry, energy, and customs, to further integrate Ukraine economically into the EU. In order to get fighter jets and long-range missiles, Kyiv has pushed the West.

As part of a new $2.17 billion aid package, the US announced Friday that it will send Ukraine longer-range bombs, air defense systems, and other weapons and ammunition. The bombs will give the Ukrainian military a greater range of maneuverability, according to Gen. Pat Ryder, allowing them to "conduct operations in defense of their country and to take back their sovereign territory."

When questioned about the U.S. action, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks from Thursday, in which he compared Russia's actions in Ukraine to the Nazis' occupation of Europe during World War II and issued an ominous warning to the West for announcing new weapons shipments.

The modern war against Russia will be a totally different war for them, according to those who wish to defeat Russia on the battlefield, Putin said. Additionally, on Friday, France and Italy decided to give Ukraine a SAMP/T-MAMBA air-defence system, which French officials refer to as the European version of the Patriot system that the United States has already given Ukraine. If given the appropriate Western weapons, Kyiv's forces "have a chance" to fend off a predicted Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy claimed.

Russian forces, according to officials in the eastern Luhansk region, have disabled mobile internet connections, increased shelling, and deployed more troops in anticipation of an offensive. Since the conflict began, the EU has provided Ukraine with assistance totalling nearly 50 billion euros ($55 billion), according to EU officials.

The EU announced it was increasing its military training mission from an initial target of pushing 15,000 troops through schooling to up to 30,000 troops while also providing Ukraine with financial and humanitarian aid. Training the tank crews that Western nations have offered Ukraine is one goal.